


The World Will Brighten (DEArtfest Day 27 - Whump)

by Lallygo



Series: Lallygo's DEArtfest [9]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, DEArtfest, Depressed Gavin Reed, Gavin Reed Needs a Hug, Hurt Gavin Reed, Hurt/Comfort, I'm dying inside this week so it's a, M/M, Protective Upgraded Connor | RK900, References to Suicide, Sharing a Bed, Short One Shot, Soft Upgraded Connor | RK900, Whump, Why Did I Write This?, does this count as
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25553284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lallygo/pseuds/Lallygo
Summary: He knocked on the door loudly. "Gavin! It is Nines."It wasn’t long before he heard shuffling feet come to answer the door. When it opened, the sight before him was concerning. Gavin’s eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and he limped slightly as he walked. “Oh. Hey,” he mumbled, hoarse and quiet. “What’s up?”-Gavin hasn't been the same recently. Nines decides to visit him one evening and find out what's wrong.
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Series: Lallygo's DEArtfest [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1858606
Comments: 10
Kudos: 160





	The World Will Brighten (DEArtfest Day 27 - Whump)

**Author's Note:**

> uh so everyone deals with feeling bad differently and god i tried but it's easier to write from the messed up pov rather than from the carer pov
> 
> if ya have a problem, let me know and i will definitely take it into account when writing my next thing like this

Gavin has been… off lately. He’s been getting a little thinner, a little more tired, every day. Nines thought he was ill, at first, but he showed no other signs of sickness. They used to talk so much. Now Nines barely gets a word from him, and if he does, it’s irritable. His quality of work is steadily falling, his focus blurrier.

“Do you think he is alright?” Nines asked one day.

“I don’t know,” Connor replied, shrugging. “I’m not as close to him as you are.”

“I cannot tell what is wrong with him,” Nines sighed. He looked up as if to search for some kind of guidance in a deity, despite the fact he had never believed in one. Perhaps it would help him think better. Every time Gavin got worse, he did too, although slower. It was just disheartening to see someone you lov-

He stopped himself, rephrasing the sentence. It was just disheartening to see someone you _cared_ about so much deteriorate. When they had first met, his arrogancy and joking attitude to work had been annoying and discouraging. Now he found that they were important to keep up a good state of mind while working on more gruesome cases, as a kind of coping mechanism. He used to use coffee to keep himself awake. Nines remembered fondly the first time he’d asked for a coffee. When Nines refused, he’d tried to punch him as he did with Connor before the revolution. Fortunately, the story had been passed on, and Nines grabbed his fist and forced him to the floor. He didn’t try that again - not for a while, at least. The next time he asked, it was a genuine question rather than an order. Nines even received the honour of him saying “please”. Now, whenever he was down, he’d get him a coffee. Sometimes (despite what he had said about liking it black) he’d add some sugar, just to sweeten it a little, and perhaps sweeten Gavin too. Gavin barely touched coffee anymore, even with sugar in.

Maybe he should visit Gavin. Just tonight, just to check on him. If he got turned away, that would be fine. He just had to know that he was alright.

He waved goodbye to Connor and left immediately. It shouldn’t feel urgent, but at that moment it did. He hadn’t been normal for months, and it was time to do something.

Walking to his flat might be better. It would give him some time to think. And to stop off and get food on the way, because he doubted Gavin was eating dinner anymore. He chose Chinese food - cheap, and many humans considered it a valued meal. Nines didn’t understand why. It wasn’t nearly as good quality as it should be, and takeaways were not healthy in the least. But it would taste better than if Nines tried to cook something himself, and probably seem less desperate.

The walk didn’t take long, as he lived near the station, and Nines had visited before. The apartment building was dark, red-carpeted floor stained with god-knows-what, and hall windows just a little bit too high to see out of. Judging by the chink of light underneath the door marked 14, Gavin was awake - or at least inside. He knocked on the door loudly. “Gavin! It is Nines.”

It wasn’t long before he heard shuffling feet come to answer the door. When it opened, the sight before him was concerning. Gavin’s eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and he limped slightly as he walked. “Oh. Hey,” he mumbled, hoarse and quiet. “What’s up?”

“May I come in and talk with you?” he asked gently. “I brought food, in case you hadn’t eaten.” He felt the urge to reach out and touch him, give him some form of comfort.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m kinda… uh, in the middle of something,” Gavin said, not daring to look into his eyes.

“What are you in the middle of?”

Gavin hesitated, before mumbling, “Something.”

“Please. Let me in,” he asked, expression soft and pitiful.

He sighed, making space in the doorway for him to pass through. Nines stepped in.

* * *

“I haven’t tidied up in a while or anything, so it’s a little messy,” Gavin shrugged.

Nines resisted the urge to agree, taken aback by how messy the flat actually was. The floor was covered in cat toys, a stain on the pillow on the couch, and dishes not done. The coffee table was stained with marks of coffee cups from years gone by. On the table rested a… gun.

Gavin trudged to the couch, sitting down and tilting his head back so it rested on the back.

He carefully lowered himself to sit beside him. “What is the gun for?” he asked cautiously.

“I… oh. I thought I’d put that away already,” he mumbled, standing up and hurriedly hiding it in a drawer. “I was just looking.”

“Just looking?” Nines said. “Do not lie to me.” He set out the box of ramen on the table. It worried him to see him to unhappy, especially with a weapon. He didn’t understand how, but his heart began to ache.

“I’m not lying,” he said. “I’m telling the truth, I was looking at it.”

“In that case - why were you looking at it?” Nines asked.

Gavin let out a breath as he sat down beside Nines once again. “You really want to know?” He winced as Nines nodded. “I was… thinking. Thinking about, y’know, just stuff. The gun,” he chuckled, eyes still dark, “it feels kind of heavy. Like, how have I fired that before? I put my finger on the trigger, and it’s… weird.” He smiled weakly.

Nines smiled back, reaching out a hand and placing it on Gavin’s shoulder. He began to understand the situation. “Were you thinking about firing it?”

“Yeah,” Gavin croaked. “B-but I didn’t! I didn’t…” He trailed off, looking hazily at Nines’s chest.

“I am very proud of you,” Nines said. He pulled Gavin towards him. All fear of showing how much he loved Gavin went out of the door, protectiveness taking over.

Gavin obliged, clambering awkwardly into his lap and burying his face in his neck.

“You are the most remarkable person, do you know that?” he whispered. “You have been through so much, and you still live on. You are so, so strong,” he praised. “I am lucky to be able to be with you.”

“But you’re not,” he said, voice muffled by Nines’s shirt. “Not able to be _with_ me. Well, not until tonight, I guess."

“You are right,” he mused. “I am not able to care for you all the time. But I could if you wanted me to.” He could feel Gavin begin to sob, and he tightened the embrace. He shushed him quietly, doing his best to calm him down. “I know it is hard. I could not possibly know how you feel right now. But I will be there for you if you need it.”

“Yes,” he whispered. “Please. I need…” He couldn’t finish his sentence.

“None of this is your fault. You will get better. I will ensure you get better,” he murmured into his ear, placing gentle kisses on his face. He knew that nothing he did could completely solve Gavin’s mental health. That he’d be this way for a long time, there was no miracle cure like in the movies. He needed help from someone trained, perhaps a therapist if Nines could convince him to go to one. But at least he could alleviate some of the pain, just for a moment.

After a couple of minutes, he let out a deep breath and looked up. “Thanks. I needed that. Uh… but, y’know, could you keep…?” He pointed to his lips. “That. Keep doing that.”

Nines laughed quietly. “Alright.” He pulled Gavin close and kissed him on the lips. He felt Gavin immediately kiss back, placing his hands on Nines’s shoulders. Gavin made a quiet noise he clearly had tried to hide, breathing speeding up a little. Nines was the one to break off. “I think you should eat something. Your food will go cold if you are not careful.”

“Oh, yeah. Thanks for picking some up, by the way,” he said, shaking his head to get rid of the surreal feeling of finally kissing Nines. “Could you stay here? Just for a couple hours?” he asked.

“Of course. Do you want to watch something? I do suggest, however, that you get an early night.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I found some old videos on YouTube. If you don’t mind,” he said.

Gavin lay against Nines for two and a half hours. Something about those arms wrapped around him made him feel comfortable. He stayed still, eating his food and commenting on the videos every now and then. Nines kept moving and placing his hands over different parts of Gavin, from playing with his hair to rubbing comforting circles with his thumb into his upper thigh. He’d kiss his neck, or bring a hand up and kiss every finger individually. Gavin couldn’t even attempt to hide his affection at this point, leaning into every touch and moaning when he hit a spot he liked. Eventually, in the middle of a playthrough of a game, he closed his eyes. Just for a moment. He didn’t open them again.

Nines carried him to his bedroom, taking the liberty of unbuckling his belt, taking off his slippers and shirt, and sliding him into the bed. After a moment of thought, he did the same, turning out the light but staying up to process his memories.

* * *

When he woke in the morning, Gavin took a moment to figure out where he was and how he had gotten there. Nines was still beside him, although lying down with his eyes closed, appearing to sleep.

“Nines?”

His LED circled yellow before he opened his eyes. “Ah, you are awake.”

“Y-yeah. Did you sleep here?” he asked nervously.

“Yes. I thought you would not mind. I do apologise if that was forward of me,” he said. As he opened his eyes, he noticed how rested Gavin looked. He was speaking quietly, too. Almost as if a weight had been lifted from him. “Are you alright?”

“Haven’t felt this good in months,” he answered. “And fuck, am I hungry,” he groaned.

Nines chuckled. “Shall I attempt to make breakfast, or can you handle it?”

“I think I can manage to toast some bread,” he grinned. His gaze softened slightly as he looked into Nines’s eyes.

Nines took the cue to cup his face in his hands and kiss him. “I am so proud.”

“I don’t deserve this,” Gavin whined.

“You do. You deserve every good feeling in the world, and I aim to give them to you,” he murmured, pressing his forehead to Gavin’s. “I will care for you for however long you need it, and longer if I can. We will get better, I promise you. The world will brighten again.”

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, the worst thing you can say to someone is "I'm disappointed in you." And on that note, the best thing *ever* is "I'm proud of you."
> 
> Thanks for reading! Stay safe <3


End file.
